A Second Attempt at Love
by Whyte Lilac
Summary: Meet Sakura Kinomoto, daughter of a multi billionaire company owner, and Syaoran Li, a rich playboy whose favorite hobby is to date and dump. Can she inspire him to love again? SxS
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own CCS nor do I own the characters in the manga/ anime. The characters and events in this story are fictitious. Any similarities to real persons are coincidental and unintentional.**

**A/N: **To new readers of this story, this was my first CCS fanfic. To returning readers, I've made some (really, really minor) changes (like fixing grammar/ spelling errors) to most of chapters 1-4. I hope you enjoy the story.

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**A Second Attempt at Love**

-1-

It was a quiet morning in March. The sky was clear and the sun's rays were just beginning to light up the horizon. Much of Japan was still asleep and dreaming contently in their beds, but in the Kinomoto household, almost everyone was up… _almost _everyone…

_Beep. Beep. Beep. Beep. Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!_

An electronic alarm clock rang inside the bedroom of twenty year-old Sakura Kinomoto, daughter of Japan's largest and wealthiest corporation owner. Upon hearing the annoying device ring, the young girl groaned and buried her head under the warmth and softness of her comforters. "Five more…minutes…" she murmured, trying to return to dreamland.

She heard a muffled giggle on her right and immediately popped her head out. When she managed to open her eyes fully, she was facing huge red numbers that read 6:30 am.

"Holy crap!" Sakura exclaimed, now fully awake. She had woken up late and was now scrambling to get out of bed. "Why didn't you wake me up earlier, Chidori-chan! I'm going to be late!"

Chidori was Sakura's personal maid, but she was treated more like a friend than a servant.

"Gomen ne, Kinomoto-san, but you see... I woke up late, too…" she smiled sheepishly as she handed clean clothes to Sakura.

The auburn-haired girl gladly took the clothes from her maid and shot her a sharp look before running to the bathroom. "I told you to call me Sakura, Chidori-chan! There's no one around to hear."

The young maid giggled again. "Hai, Sakura-chan! Gomen!"

After she changed and took care of her hygiene, Sakura rushed downstairs to the breakfast table where her older brother was currently eating.

"Good morning, Onii-chan." she greeted. Her face was flushed and she was breathing raggedly as she slumped down in a chair across from her brother.

Raising a brow at her appearance and actions, the jet-black haired man returned her greetings. "Woke up late again, kaijuu?"

The emerald-eyed girl chose to ignore the comment and asked instead, "Where's Otou-san?"

"Business meeting."

Sakura mouthed an 'oh'. Her face fell for a moment, but she quickly pasted a smile back on her face, hoping her brother didn't catch her disappointment… which he did, of course. Soon, silence filled the breakfast table; the only sounds audible were made by the clinking of silverware against china.

The chef, Mrs. Ito, was the first one to stir up conversation in the dining room when she suddenly popped out of nowhere carrying two platters piled with hotcakes, eggs and ham. A smile spread over her plump, rosy cheeks as she set the platter down in front of the two siblings.

"Morning, dears, how's your day so far?" the chef asked cheerfully. She didn't seem to notice the silence between Sakura and her brother when she entered the room.

The young girl gave the lively cook a smile in return. "Um, today's been good so far, hasn't it, Onii-chan?"

He nodded in reply, but didn't look up from the newspaper he was reading. Mrs. Ito didn't mind his curt answer, but continued on with her duties. She poured coffee into his half-empty mug and gave Sakura a glass of orange juice. Then, the cook turned to go back to the kitchen, but stopped when she suddenly remembered something.

"Oh, Touya, dear, I almost forgot to tell you that someone called for you," she said to Sakura's brother. "Ichigo said the call was made from the company office, so I assume that your father had something to tell you. You should go call them back when you're done with breakfast."

Touya thanked her and said he would do so as soon as he was done with his coffee. Sakura, on the hand, gave him a questioning look. Her father had always left him messages, but seldom in the early morning hours. In the end, she decided not to ask him about it, not wanting to be a bother.

After finishing most of her hotcakes and juice, Sakura excused herself from the table and went straight to her room. She sat on her bed for awhile; not knowing what to do, but then a knock at the door disturbed her thoughts. "Come in," she called. She was surprised when she saw who was at the door.

Standing in the doorway with his arms crossed was the one and only brother she had ever known. He looked strangely relax as he leaned against the frame of the door.

"I thought you were going to call the company?" she said, motioning for him to sit on the bench at the foot of her bed. He denied her offer with a shake of his head, assuring her that he was comfortable where he was.

"I just did," Touya said, waiting for his sister's cue to continue. "We're invited to the Kunishiros' annual spring ball. It's held in two days, so I'm just giving you a heads-up."

The emerald-eyed girl stared at him in bewilderment. "So what happened to the invitations?"

The older man shrugged. "Dunno. They said they were lost in the mail… Anyway, I'm gonna head down to the company to deal with some business, alright? Call me if you need anything."

Sakura nodded her head to let him know that she understood, and then reached for the cordless phone sitting on her table. She pressed the speed-dial button and waited for someone to pick up. A soft voice greeted her, "Sakura-chan?"

The said girl looked at the phone as though it had some sort of psychic power. "How'd you know?"

The voice on the other end laughed at her friend's density. "How do you think I know, silly? Caller ID, of course!"

"Oh," came Sakura's sheepish reply. "I-I knew that…"

The voice at the other end brushed that aside, "So, will you be attending the Kunishiros' ball?"

"Okay… Now _that's_ reallycreepy! Maybe I should stop speaking altogether and let you fill in the spaces, eh, Tomoyo-chan?"

Stifled giggles were heard from the other line. When Tomoyo finally settled down, she chirped excitedly, "I take that as a yes, then. The Kunishiro family throws a spring ball every year, so I have pre-made dresses for you! See you in, say, an hour, alright? Bye, Sakura-chan!" With that, she hung up, leaving Sakura to listen to the dull dial tone.

"Right…" she mumbled, a bit shocked.

---

_Ding-dong._ The oh-so-original doorbell rang. Sakura, who was currently browsing a fashion magazine, dropped everything and ran to the door, shouting out, "I'm coming!"

She peered through the peephole to see Tomoyo with a thousand bags in her hands and immediately unlocked the door. "Hey, Tomoyo-chan, I didn't ex-" she greeted, but was cut off when half a dozen bags were thrown into her arms. "-pect you to come so early…"

Tomoyo walked in carrying the remaining bags and placed them gently on the Persian rug laid out in the foyer. "Oh, sorry about that, I just couldn't wait to see you try them on!" she squealed and pulled Sakura into a hug.

The auburn-haired girl laughed nervously; she _couldn't_ and _wouldn't_ be able to escape from this… Tomoyo have always had a passion for designing and making clothes, but her favorite thing to do was tormenting Sakura by making her model every single item she crafted.

"You're evil, Tomoyo-chan. Pure evil, I tell you," she mumbled incoherently, dropping the bags down next to the others. Tomoyo was studying the magazine that Sakura was browsing earlier, and was frowning at or criticizing every dress she saw.

"What was that, Sakura-chan?" she queried, now picking up another fashion magazine.

"Nothing!" Sakura squeaked. "Uh, do you want something to drink?"

Tomoyo's amethyst eyes left the page she was examining and landed on Sakura. "No, thanks, I'm ok. So, are you ready to try them on for me?" she grinned, and added, "Sorry I didn't bring them all, we'll have to work with these today." Then, wasting no time at all, Tomoyo reached for the stairs that lead up to the second floor where Sakura's bedroom was located.

_I'm dead._ The twenty-year-old girl with auburn hair thought before plastering on a fake enthusiastic smile. She took her time following her friend into her bedroom, but not before saying a small prayer to the gods above… at least, she hoped they were there…

---

"Oh my god! You look _soo _kawaii in that dress!" Tomoyo squealed for what seemed like the hundredth time in two hours. Sakura rolled her eyes and sighed heavily.

It was always 'Oh my god! You're so kawaii!' or 'Sakura-chan, you look like a celestial maiden sent from heaven!' or just simply 'Oh my god!' Those weren't the only comments Sakura had heard, but just three out of the many that she could decipher. The rest were harder to understand because it mainly consisted of squealing and high-pitched sounds.

"Tomoyo…" Sakura started. "Don't you think we should take a break? I mean, it's been over two hours and I'm starting to hate dresses."

The other girl looked disappointed, but being an understanding person, she agreed, but not without bargaining with Sakura. "Please? _Pleeeeeeeeease?_" she begged, stretching out the 'e'.

Sakura nodded in defeat. Surely ONE more dress wasn't gonna kill her if it'll save her from modeling them all at once. She dragged herself over to the bathroom and took the garment Tomoyo handed her.

It was made of pure silk and lined with soft satin. The dress was cream-colored and flowed around her ankles. It had a low neck line and spaghetti straps, but didn't reveal anymore than intended. Though the dress was lightly embroidered in silk, it had the look of simplicity.

When she came out in the dress, Tomoyo stood up from her chair next to the dresser and gasped. "You look…" she smiled.

"Let me guess… 'So kawaii!'" The emerald-eyed beauty suggested, rolling her eyes. She hadn't had a chance to look at her appearance since there was no mirror in the small changing room. Tomoyo grabbed her hand and dragged her to the full-length mirror in the corner, allowing her to see her image for the first time since she woke up.

Sakura was stunned. The dress was beautiful, like all the others she had modeled, but this one was more unique. It fitted to all the contours of her body and added an elegant glow to her. All she could do was just stare and admire all the work Tomoyo had put into this gown.

"I think it's the perfect dress for the Kunishiros' annual ball, hm? All you need is the perfect pair of shoes, earrings and a wrap to go along with it..." Tomoyo said cheerily and added, "On second thought… maybe a nice purse, too. Don't worry; I'll take care of it all."

Sakura nodded, a dreamy look donning her face. "I think I have the perfect earrings already, Tomoyo-chan…"

Sakura walked over to her dresser and took out a black lacquered jewelry box. It had an intricate design of birds perched on a sakura branch carved from mother-of-pearl on its lid. She ran her hand over the shiny surface, feeling the raised form of the flowers and birds.

Tomoyo crossed the room and stood next to her friend. "It's beautiful, Sakura-chan," she complimented, her eyes widening in wonder and admiration.

The auburn-haired girl smiled, then, she opened the box and took out a smaller one made specifically for earrings. Inside was a pair of pearl drop earrings. There were two pearls on each earring; one at the top and the other, at the bottom. They were held together by a solid line of platinum, but even in their simplicity, they looked absolutely stunning.

"It was a gift from Okaa-san; both the box and these earrings. They were her treasures, Tomoyo-chan…" she said, tears forming in the corners of her eyes. Tomoyo patted her back, trying her best not to tear up, too.

"Don't cry, Sakura-chan," the amethyst-eyed girl consoled. "Auntie would've never wanted for you to be sad…"

Sniffling and wiping away her tears, Sakura nodded, putting on a shaky smile. Suddenly, a low grumbling was heard. Sakura's cheeks took on a light pink glow and she began to laugh nervously.

Tomoyo joined along, adding, "Well, I guess it's time for that lunch break you were asking for. Let's go downstairs, Sakura-chan."

"Race you down the stairs! Last one down is a slowpoke!" Sakura shouted, rushing out of the room, forgetting that she was still in a dress… Let's just say that that wasn't the smartest thing to do when you're wearing a floor-length dress…

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**A/N: **So, what did you think? I'd like to hear your comments/ suggestions for improvement. I know what some of you may think (not really), you think that authors won't really care what you say about their work, but we really do! We appreciate you taking your time to give us feedback and even praise! That's one of the many reasons why we keep writing--it's for you! So, what do you say about pressing that little bar down there? It's practically begging you to. =]

_Whyte Lilac_


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own CCS nor do I own the characters in the manga/ anime. The characters and events in this story are fictitious. Any similarities to real persons are coincidental and unintentional.**

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**A Second Attempt at Love**

-2-

"Ja, Sakura-chan. See you at the ball," Tomoyo bid Sakura good-bye, giving her a quick hug before walking down the stone path that lead to the front gates.

Sakura smiled and waved at her friend, watching from the doorway until the ebony-haired girl got safely into her car. She then closed the door, leaning heavily against it and allowed a sigh to escape her rosy lips. After the little dress incident, the two girls went downstairs to have their break. Since it was such a nice day, they decided to take their meals outside in the patio that overviewed the garden.

They spent half an hour discussing the preparations for the ball, but for the remainder of the hour, they transitioned to a casual conversation. Soon it was noon, and time for Tomoyo to place all but one of the dresses back into their proper bags; the cream gown would be left in Sakura's closet until the next night when it would be needed. Tomoyo would take care of the shoes and other accessories that would complete the outfit. Other than that, there was almost nothing else to take care of that day.

"Sakura-chan? Are you alright?" a soft voice interrupted Sakura's thoughts.

Chidori wore a concerned look on her gentle face. "Why don't you go sit down—I'll go brew some tea to soothe your nerves." She turned toward the kitchen, but Sakura shook her head, a wan smile forming on her lips.

"It's ok… I'm just a bit tired, that's all…"

Chidori nodded and instantly became her happy self again. "I bet!" she exclaimed excitedly, "There must've been over a hundred dresses in those bags!"

Sakura smiled wearily, bidding the happy-go-lucky maid good-bye as she climbed the stairs to her bedroom. It was quite a morning and even though this wasn't the busiest of days, Sakura felt unusually tired and stressed. She decided to freshen up in the baths, taking her cell phone along, just in case.

The hot bath was relaxing; she could almost feel all her worries and stress stripping away as she soaked in the water. The moment was perfect… well, until her phone's melodic ring tone suddenly broke the silence. The young woman groaned, reaching for the phone. If she wasn't feeling so weak and tired, she would've given whoever ruined the moment a mouthful.

"Hello?" she muttered, too tired to use the formal greeting. The person on the other end seemed to have noticed her weariness because there was a brief pause before they replied.

"Hey," the low voice rumbled. "I was going to invite you to lunch with me and Otou-san, but I guess you're too tired to come… So maybe another time?"

Sakura jerked awake at the comment and quickly replied, "No! I mean—I'm not too tired. What time do you want me to come and where?"

The man on the other end chuckled at his sister's reaction; he always knew how to perk her up. "Get ready in an hour, alright? I'm coming back to the house to pick you up, so no need to take the car," Then he added as a precaution, "Try to be prompt this time, too, Sakura."

She hissed. She could practically see the smirk on his face as he said the last sentence. He could perk her up, alright, but he had also mastered the art of ticking Sakura off.

Sakura hung up, her temple throbbing in annoyance at her brother. On the other hand, she was happy; soon, she would be able to see her father again.

For the past month, Sakura was unable to contact her father because of his work schedule. His corporation had flourished incredibly in the last four weeks and even though there was an advantage to that, there was also a downside. Yes, his company would be expanding into other branches in the world, making it more successful than before, and yes, more profit would be brought in… BUT! (There's always a "but".) But, that would mean a larger workload and a tighter schedule, meaning there wouldn't be time enough for family and friends.

It was a difficult decision to make, of course, but this would only be temporary until everything gets taken care of. Then, with hope, they would, once again, become a family.

---

An hour later, Sakura was ready. She wore a white, short puff-sleeved lace blouse and a light pink, satin-lined chiffon skirt with a pair of flat-heeled sandals to match. The weather was sunny and mild, so there was no need for jackets and coats.

A pair of azure eyes watched as the auburn-haired girl paced around the living room repeatedly, stopping now and then to glance at the grandfather clock set at the far wall. It was half an hour after noon now and for the millionth time, it seemed, Sakura would be late for a planned meal. But this time, instead of it being her fault, it was her older brother's.

"Oi…" moaned a certain blue-eyed maid, who was now busy rubbing her temples, "You're making me dizzy, Sakura-chan…"

Sakura immediately stopped her pacing and apologized quickly. If it wasn't for her stupid, late brother, she wouldn't have acted this way. What happened to his policy on promptness? Half an hour late and not even bothering to make a quick phone call home to let her know what was going on. Oh, he would get the biggest foot-stomping of his life when he gets home…

At that moment, the previously mentioned man burst through the door, trying to catch his breath and explain at the same time.

"Hey—sorry—lunch rescheduled--" he rasped, grabbing ahold of her arm. "We go now!"

With that, he whirled her out of the mansion and plopped her into the passenger seat, ignoring her complaints and sped out of the driveway. The sports car raced through traffic and stopped in front of a popular diner in record time. After stopping in front of the building for valet parking, the dark-haired man turned to look at his sister. She wore a horrified look on her face and her mouth was slightly agape. He chuckled, breaking her out of her trance. Sakura glared at him, the flames in her eyes promised him great punishment when this was all over.

"Touya, you jerk! What were you trying to do—kill us!" the emerald-eyed woman fumed, stepping out of the car after the valet opened it for her. She walked alongside her brother, one hand clutching her handbag and the other wrapped his arm in a death grip. There was a long line of people waiting outside the restaurant and they didn't look too happy, either. Loud groans and curses were heard as the two V.I.P.s made their way into the entrance of the building.

Once inside, the Kinomotos were greeted by the hostess, who immediately recognized them and led them down a brightly lit corridor. They passed by many doors, all of which were shut tightly, and didn't stop until they reached a door at the end of the hallway. The door was slightly ajar, so they could hear a mixture of laughter streaming out from the room. Sakura raised a brow at Touya, and gave him a look that seemed to say 'I thought it was only us three?' He only shrugged, and knocked on the door before pushing it open.

Sakura peeked over her brother's shoulder, trying to get a good look at the people in the room. There was only one other person aside her father—Ken Kunishiro, the eldest son of her father's business partners. She glanced from her father to Ken, realizing they had stopped their conversation and were now inviting the two newcomers in. Sakura could feel the hair prickling the back of her neck. Ken's dark eyes had been fixed on her image the whole time and it was making her very uncomfortable. She almost wished she wasn't here, but she reminded herself that it was her selfish desire to see her father that had gotten her here.

Out of formality, Touya and Sakura bowed, and then seated themselves on the cushions around the low table. The emerald-eyed girl sat herself as far away from Ken as possible and kept her eyes only on her father and brother.

'_What is _he _doing here!_' she thought, narrowing her eyes slightly, but brushed that aside for the moment.

She rejoiced at seeing her father, but was sadden to see the traces of stress from work left on his face. His eyes were darker than usual and he looked as though he hadn't slept in days. At that moment, she worried for him and his health, and promised that as soon as they were home, she would do as much as she could to help him relieve the stress.

"Otou-san," she began slowly. "Have things finally slowed down at work?"

But, when she asked that question, Sakura really meant 'when are you coming home?' She was ashamed at herself for not expressing her true thoughts, but there was an outsider in the room, and one that didn't make her feel comfy, too.

Fujitaka smiled at his young daughter, knowing ahead of time that she would ask him that. Before he could answer, though, the dark-eyed man next to him stood up and bow, bidding everyone good-bye.

"I'm sorry to make this such a short visit, Kinomoto-san, but I really must get going," he said, then added as he headed for the door. "I hope to see you there, Sakura."

She gave him a false smile, but was secretly hiding her disgust. How dare he call her by her first name? Any other person, she would've allowed, but definitely not _him_. But enough about Ken, the 20-year-old was here to see her father.

The room felt much lighter and more cheerful now that they were alone again. A genuine smile spread on Sakura's face and her heart felt like bursting with happiness. She knew her father's answer would be a positive one because of his smile. For the first time today, Fujitaka Kinomoto would come home from work and, hopefully, be able to do that every day again. The three celebrated with _sake_ (except Sakura, who substituted with tea) and other foods in the short lunch hour they spent together. Then, it was time for Sakura to go home and back to work for her father and brother, though they would all see each other again at the evening meal.

A bad day turned into a good one in hours. Even though all the little inconveniences made it annoying and frustrating, Sakura was glad to get through the day. She didn't mind modeling the hundred dresses that Tomoyo had brought over, or even Ken's appearance at the restaurant—well maybe a teensy bit, at that, but you can't blame her for it—but she really hoped that tomorrow's events would be somewhat better than the ones of today's…

_

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_**A/N: **I'm almost scared to ask. How was it?

_Whyte Lilac_


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own CCS nor do I own the characters in the manga/ anime. The characters and events in this story are fictitious. Any similarities to real persons are coincidental and unintentional.**

**A/N:** I hope you like it. I spent a lot of time writing this...

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**A Second Attempt at Love**

-3-

Today was the day—the day of the Kunishiro's ball, to be precise. It would be held at 8 o'clock in the evening, a good six hours from now, but there was still plenty to take care of before the event began. Sakura didn't feel much like going after the surprise meeting with Ken Kunishiro yesterday, but it was expected of her. She sighed. Everything was always "expected" of her simply because she was born to an upper-class family.

Sakura didn't choose to be born into such a class, but as long as her family was happy, she promised that she would be, too. It had been her duty to take over as the dominant female in this family after her mother passed away from illness many years ago. She was only a mere child then, but small and innocent as she was; Sakura still had to learn about responsibility, courtesy and everything else society expected the daughter of a respected man to know. And, sometimes, society just goes a tad bit over the top, don't you think?

Still, as reluctant and confused as she was at the time, Sakura complied with the new set of rules of which she thought were silly and unnecessary. Lessons were given daily on everything from mathematics to making zabaglione, an Italian dessert. But in the case of many peculiar lessons, she didn't understand the reason for learning them at all, and deemed them pointless. However, she did enjoy learning academics, for the most part, and even managed to pass mathematics—her worst subject, yet.

Life was tough—and still is—without a mother for the girl, but when she looked on the bright side, she felt overwhelmingly happy and lucky to have such a loving and caring father and brother. They didn't substitute the presence of her mother, but these two men were her family. Having no sisters, Tomoyo also played a huge part in Sakura's life. They were close from the start and were always seen together; one was never without the other—or far away.

So, Sakura never did feel lonely because, in her heart, these people were all the family she needed…

"Sakura, sit up straight, please," the girl's best friend spoke up softly, welcoming her back to reality.

Tomoyo had come over just an hour ago to help Sakura with her hair and make-up. It took Tomoyo three hours to do Sakura's hair, as she was trying to keep down the all baby hairs that somehow managed to pop back up even with gel and hair spray. Chemicals and gels were kept to a minimum, though, as the look of the hairstyle was meant to be natural, not stiff and dry.

With her skillful and deft fingers, Tomoyo turned Sakura's waist-long locks into a mass of curls. It was a simple hairstyle now, but before long, Tomoyo turned the curls into a smooth chignon. A chignon, of course, could be done without curling hair, but Tomoyo wanted Sakura's hair to make a statement. She, then, pinned into place several custom-made hair ornaments. A group of pink and white gemstones were used for the flowers while peridot and emerald made up the leaves.

It was enough to catch people's attention, but not as bold as to have crowds of people surround her all evening. Still, something was missing. Looking carefully at Sakura from another angle, Tomoyo realized that she made Sakura look too mature. So, she decided to soften up the girl's features by setting some curls loose, allowing them to frame her face and add to her beautiful visage.

Seeing that the task of styling Sakura's hair was done, Tomoyo immediately switched to make-up. Not wanting to cover up the emerald-eyed girl's own beauty or challenge it with heavy make-up, she settled on a light foundation, eye shadow, mascara, a soft, pink blush and clear lip gloss.

When Tomoyo was finished with Sakura's hair and make-up, it was already 5 o'clock, so that only left three more hours until the ball.

Tomoyo happily presented Sakura with a hand mirror, both nervous and excited to see the girl's reaction to her handiwork. The emerald-eyed girl didn't disappoint her—in fact, she was pleasantly surprised with the results.

"Arigatou, Tomoyo-chan, it looks really great!" she exclaimed, her eyes widening in amazement as she examined her make-up. Compared to Sakura, Tomoyo was an expert when it came to creative hairstyling and designing.

With a twinkle in her eyes and a smile gracing her lips, Tomoyo quickly rushed to the table and dug into her bag. Before Sakura could refuse or complain, she took out her camera and snapped a picture then quickly stuffed the device back into its place. Sakura rolled her eyes and crossed her arms, but couldn't hide her pleasure. As the saying goes, 'old habits die hard'—and Tomoyo's was no exception.

Soon, they began work on Tomoyo—'they' referred to Sakura, Chidori and Tomoyo. Chidori and Sakura worked on Tomoyo's lengthy hair while the task of applying make-up belonged to the amethyst-eyed girl. The maid and her mistress took turns curling her hair, then swept back Tomoyo's forelocks and fastened them with a beautiful jeweled barrette. Tomoyo didn't bother putting on too much make-up. She applied some lip gloss onto her lips, a little blush and lavender eye shadow to bring out her eyes and to match with her plum-colored dress.

Sakura stepped back to admire her friend's beautiful visage. "You look lovely, Tomoyo-chan…"

The amethyst-eyed girl turned her head back to smile at Sakura. She reached for Sakura's hands and looking up at her, said, "I wouldn't look half as nice without your help, Sakura-chan—and Chidori-san," she added quickly when she heard a small cough.

Chidori grinned. "It was our pleasure, Tomoyo-san!"

The other two girls exchanged glances and burst into laughter, followed by Chidori. Then, they were suddenly interrupted by the loud chiming of the grandfather clock downstairs.

Sakura looked at the clock and groaned. It was already a quarter past seven. She didn't realize how quickly the time had passed until now and knew that they couldn't spare anymore minutes for a casual conversation.

So, as quickly as humanly possible, Sakura got into her evening gown and donned her accessories while Tomoyo and Chidori took their time putting away the make-up products.

At last they managed to finish the preparations for the ball—this time, no one was injured or suffering from horribly applied make-up. (What a nightmare that was…)

Then, Sakura and Tomoyo descended the stairs to wait patiently in the living room for their escorts and rides, which arrived ten minutes later.

Two men entered the room—one being Sakura's older brother and the other, her father—along with a middle-aged woman. Each of the adults were laughing, but calmed down when they spotted the two young ladies sitting quietly in armchairs. Tomoyo rose to greet the three new arrivals and hugged the woman.

"Okaa-san!" she cried, pleasantly surprised. "What are—I mean, I thought you were away on a business trip and weren't coming back until tomorrow!"

The middle-aged woman let go of her daughter, smiling fondly. "A mother can't come back a day early to see her dearly-missed daughter whom she hasn't seen for more than a month?"

Then she caught Sakura, who was done with her greetings, smiling at the scene in front of her. Sonomi, Tomoyo's mother, signaled for Sakura to come. The two of them hugged for a few minutes, already sniffling and tearing up.

It had been such a long time since Sakura had been embraced in this way. Her aunt's hug was the closest she had to a mother's. Her mother's… How she missed her mother's warm and loving embrace…

"Ahem!"

The two broke off their hug. Sakura looked up at her aunt and they began to laugh. As strange as it sounds, it was these slightly awkward moments that made her feel comfortable.

Sakura turned to her brother, wiping the corners of her eyes. "Are we ready to go?" she asked, smiling genuinely at her family members.

Touya mumbled something under his breath and nodded, moving towards the door. The rest followed in his lead without much hesitation and got into the open doors of the limousine waiting outside. For much of the ride, everyone was involved in some kind of conversation—either discussing business or just simple, random topics. Sakura was having so fun talking about old times that she nearly forgot where they were going. When she finally remembered, she began to feel a sense of dread creeping into the warm atmosphere around her.

---

When they arrived at the Iwazumi Grand Hall, at last, Sakura was already wishing she had never come in the first place. From the start, she had never felt complete comfort around Ken Kunishiro. There was just something... _unnerving_… about that guy. Whether it was his awful smirk or the glint in his eyes, or whatever, Sakura didn't care—she just wanted him to stay far away from her.

The auburn-haired woman stopped in front of the entrance to take a deep breath. It calmed her down considerably, but there the nagging feeling she felt just wouldn't go away. Pasting on a smile, she entered the open door arm-in-arm with her father as the others followed not far behind. The doorman greeted them, recognizing them as the prominent Kinomoto family, and then, he directed them to the host and hostess of the ball.

They proceeded to greet the Kunishiro's, who were at the other end of the ballroom mingling with some guests. Sakura noticed that Ken was nowhere to be seen and felt both relief and further dread. She felt relief because she wouldn't need face him—yet; and dread because he could already be planning something.

The elder Kunishiro and his wife instantly spotted the Kinomoto's and Daidouji's as they came towards them. The couple excused themselves from their two guests and met up with Sakura's family.

"Oh, hello, hello, Kinomoto-san," Korin Kunishiro chirped, giving Fujitaka a toothy smile. She quickly embraced him and smiled blindly at everyone else. "It's _so _good to see you again!"

Sonomi turned her head so no one could see the disgusted look she wore, but she scoffed loudly enough for Sakura and Tomoyo to hear. "That Korin has always been interested in Fujitaka since high school… Unfortunately for her, he fell in love with Nadeshiko. But now, she's shamelessly and publicly showing her affections for him? What little shame she has…" Tomoyo's mother scoffed again and folded her arms against her chest.

Sakura thought she saw Korin's husband, Kita Kunishiro, throw his wife a stony glare for a moment, but he seemed to recover quickly when he shook her father's hand. Unlike his wife, the elder Kunishiro actually took notice of everyone else around him, besides Fujitaka. Out of the whole Kunishiro family, the most likeable person was probably Kita because he was the opposite of his wife and son. He wasn't snobby, creepy, or condescending. The same couldn't be said for _some _people…

After everyone was formally introduced and greeted, the small group divided. Fujitaka stayed to discuss business with Kita, but Korin, uninterested, had disappeared to someplace else. Touya and Sonomi had split up to mingle with familiar and unfamiliar business owners in the west side of the room, leaving Tomoyo and Sakura on their own. They would all join up later for the evening meal.

Having gone to so many different formal events and balls, the two girls both knew well that the main purpose of these parties was to socialize and make new acquaintances. It wasn't the most entertaining thing in the world, but it was a great experience for those who wanted to meet new people or make new friends.

Tomoyo scanned the room for familiar faces and her eyes widened when she spotted a group of young girls their age. Ignoring the quiet protests of her best friend, she dragged Sakura towards the group.

As Sakura and Tomoyo neared the three young women, they could hear bits of their conversation and some light laughter as a familiar voice made a comment about her clueless boyfriend. The bespectacled woman of the group suddenly noticed the two newcomers and fixed her gaze on them. The two other women in the circle turned around to see what the bespectacled woman was looking at and gasped at what—or who, their eyes landed on.

In a flash, everyone was hugging and chattering in delight. At first, Sakura was confused because three strangers were taking turns embracing her. But, she began to join in the squealing and hugging after recognizing the women as her childhood friends from grade school. The bespectacled woman was Naoko Yanagisawa while the long, dark-haired woman was Chiharu Mihara and the woman with the fairly long, light brown hair was Rika Sasaki.

Then, realizing where they were and what they were doing, the five girls straightened up and stopped their screaming. They quietly shuffled to a corner of the Grand Hall and giggled, ignoring all the bewildered looks and stares random people were shooting at them.

Chiharu started first. "It's so great to see you both again! I was so surprised to see Naoko and Rika here, but now that we're all together again, it's like a dream!"

Naoko and Rika agreed. The five of them were the closest of friends, but after high school, they had somehow lost contact with each other. But, now, everyone was laughing and happy because they were reunited.

The small group continued their chat at a table, trying to catch up with each other's lives. It turned out that Naoko was following her dream to become a lawyer and was doing well in law school. Rika was still in school and on her way to earning a teaching credential. And as for Chiharu, she was still undecided on what career she wanted to focus on. But, she was still attending school and trying out various jobs now and then.

"Ok, enough about boring jobs and school," Chiharu said, grinning mischievously. "I'd like to hear about your _love_ lives."

Then, as a quick afterthought, she added, "And don't say you don't know what I'm talking about!"

She looked from Tomoyo to Sakura, trying to pressure them into spilling the beans, but they each only gave her a raised brow.

"Oh, alright—I give up! I obviously can't force anything out of you two…" she mumbled in defeat, then a hopeful glint sparked in her eyes. "Ooh, who's _that_?"

Confused, the other girls turned their heads to look in the direction Chiharu was nodding at. Sakura mentally groaned. Who else but Ken Kunishiro? _The_ Ken Kunishiro she had been lucky enough to avoid for only a little more than half an hour.

She didn't bother to slap on a fake smile as he came closer, looking awfully smug with that grin of his plastered proudly on his lips.

"Sakura, I'm glad to see that you came," he smiled, looking her up and down. "You look beautiful tonight."

Feeling sick already, Sakura suppressed it with a false smile of her own. "Why, thank you, Mr. Kunishiro. You look…well yourself."

Behind her, she heard Tomoyo stifle a small giggle, giving her strength to go on. Ken, on the other hand, looked self-conscious and grimaced for a moment before continuing.

"I'd like to see you alone for a moment, Sakura," he said, exhibiting his charming smile again. "Would you mind me stealing her for a minute, ladies?"

Sakura paled for a second, looking like she had seen a ghost. She shot Tomoyo an S.O.S. look.

Sensing her distress, Tomoyo reassured her with a smile. "Sure, but only if you bring her back in one perfect piece."

Then, in a voice only he could hear, she added. "We'll know where to find you if you do anything to her, Kunishiro."

The dark glint in Tomoyo's amethyst eyes obviously meant she was serious. For a moment, Ken's grin faltered. But, then he looked down at the petite figure and compared himself to her—who would be stronger? Small, fragile and feminine Tomoyo or tall, cocky and bulky Ken?

If only he weren't so stupid and ignorant, he'd realized that Tomoyo had a lot of…acquaintances.

But, with another sickening smile, Ken led Sakura away. He directed her outside and into the Iwazumi's large garden. She immediately shook her hand out of his, stepping back a few paces. The young girl crossed her arms and shot him a poisonous glare. Inside, she felt fear building up in her body, but the flame in her heart kept the cold away.

"What do you want?" she spat. Sakura was never like this with anyone else, but this guy always made her walls go up. She definitely didn't like him.

He chuckled, his head hung low, but his tone was dangerous. Suddenly, he lunged at her, attempting to wrap his arms about her. Sakura screamed, and leaned away. This was what she had feared—being alone with a psycho in a place where no one could hear or help her.

After a few failed attempts, he was left panting hard, but held a captive Sakura in his arms. She tried to pry his arms off of her, but they were too strong, so she did what came to her first—she bit him. That would leave her with a head start for the back entrance to the Grand Hall, right? Yes—and no. He managed to recover as fast as she had bit him and ran after her.

Half-way through the garden path, Sakura tripped over a loose rock and fell. Ken had already caught up with her and for the second time, he wrapped his arms around her securely, not letting her go. And this time, he made sure that her mouth was clamped shut.

"Now--" he rasped, still catching his breath. "Now, you can't get away, my little flower."

With his hand over her mouth, she could no longer scream or yell out. She was certain that no one would hear her anyway, even if she tried, because this part of the garden was so dense with all of its trees and shrubs. Sakura was on the brink of tears; she felt like giving up because she was so sure that there was no way out of this situation. Boy, was she surprised when someone lit the wick of Hope's candle again.

"Hey," a masculine voice called out.

Ken suddenly froze on the spot, horror flashed across his face as his eyes roamed the crowded trees in the surrounding. His prisoner, on the other hand, was feeling several emotions run through her. Relief flowed through Sakura's veins as she regained the hope of escaping again.

"Hey," the voice called out again, this time in a sterner tone. "I think you want to let her go now, if you know what's best for you."

A man walked out casually from behind a drizzling fountain, his silhouetted form a dark outline in the moonlight. Sakura squinted her eyes, trying to see his facial features clearly, but her tear-clouded eyes and the poor lighting didn't allow it. Shadowed by his bangs, his eyes were covered from view, but she could vaguely tell that he was a very good-looking man. The mysterious man was dressed well, wearing a formal suit and tie, but he must've snuck out at some point in order to appear here now. Sakura rephrased that last part mentally. She had worded that thought like the man had been guilty of doing something bad, when in reality; he had practically saved her from potential abuse and possibly—rape.

Ken backed up, making Sakura stumble along with him. "Nobody asked for your opinion," he shot at the man, who stared coldly at him.

Deciding that this had gone on long enough, the mysterious man walked directly toward the pair, stopping right in front of Ken.

"Let go of her, _Kunishiro_," he growled dangerously. The look in his eyes meant he was dead serious. "I suggest that you do as you're told if you want to keep your father's name clean."

The guilty son of Kita Kunishiro was taken aback. He knew too well that these words were true, but he wasn't about to let this unknown person humiliate and threaten him in front of Sakura or any other person, for that matter. Instead, he stupidly took a swipe at the stranger, only to find that this man had fast reflexes and was now holding his fist captive in a death grip. His face twisted in pain, and he began to dread the whimper threatening to come out of his throat. Finally, the stranger let go of Ken's fist, and gently pulled Sakura away from the sicko.

Ken was now on his knees, breathing in short rasps with his free hand grasping the painfully throbbing one. He bitterly spat out several profane curses as he tried to stand up, but failed miserably to the forces of weakness and fear rattling in his bones.

The stranger took one last look at the weak man cowering near the bushes and shot him a disgusted look. No one like him should ever deserve to be called a man.

---

"Hey, Tomoyo, do you know where Sakura has disappeared to?" Touya asked his younger cousin, looking slightly worried.

Tomoyo nodded, saying that Ken had taken her out to the gardens for a private conversation. The man knitted his brow in clear concern and confusion, but thanked her.

Then, he decided that his sister would be safe enough tonight. He didn't know why, but something told him that she was alright. Touya looked at his watch. It was only a quarter past nine, so he would wait for her to come back and join him later for the evening meal. In the mean time, he would attempt to keep an eye on the garden entrance _and_ entertain his newly acquainted business partners as well.

---

When they were far enough from the crumpled, but still living body of Ken Kunishiro, Sakura and the mysterious man stopped to rest in the stone courtyard of the majestic garden. The huge, glowing orb in the midst of hundreds of twinkling lights in the sky gave the two a beautiful view of the night garden. After such a horrifying incident, it felt so great for Sakura to be in a semi-quiet atmosphere like this. Sure, she'd probably have preferred it to be a view shared with someone she knew and trusted, but the man who had rescued her was a fair substitute.

Gazing up at the moon, Sakura felt more and more comfortable. Her heartbeat had transformed from a racing horse to the rhythmic pounding of a drum in a matter of time. She was in such a state of tranquility that the man seated next to her was almost forgotten until she felt his gaze on her.

To him, she looked so pure and innocent; it was quite refreshing to meet someone like this after countless encounters with girls so different from her. He had sensed her innocence from the first moment he had laid his eyes on her. She was vulnerable and trapped and he knew she needed someone to lend a hand. Despite her dress's tattered hem, a few scratches and her tear-stained cheeks, she was quite a looker.

He shook those thoughts out his head immediately and mentally smacked himself for thinking like that. In this condition, she was extremely vulnerable and didn't need another sick pervert trying to take advantage of her. Besides, he barely knew her.

Feeling an intense gaze upon her, Sakura turned her head towards her savior. He gave her a small smile. It wasn't exactly warm, but it told her he was okay and that she needn't be afraid.

"Thank--" she stopped to clear throat, raspy from crying and whispered softly, "Thank you… for saving me from—from that unpleasant situation…"

He nodded wordlessly, and handed her a monogrammed handkerchief. Sakura took it and mumbled another word of thanks as she gently patted her cheeks dry.

"Um," she began shyly, looking down at her lap. "I don't know how to repay you for all of this… but, if there's anything—"

He stopped her with a shake of his head. "There's really no need for all of that, Miss, but if you insist, I'd like to start off fresh."

She looked up at him with a slightly comical yet questioning gaze. He chuckled, amazed at her density.

"An introduction is all I ask for…" he smiled and added, "For now, that is."

Sakura raised a brow, wondering what this mysterious man meant by that last quote. She sighed and complied anyway. It was the least she could do for someone who had just saved her from getting violated—literally.

"I'm Sakura," she began politely. "Please to meet you, Mr.—er, sir."

The man chuckled again. "You don't have to be that formal with me, Miss. It's very nice to meet you. I'm—"

A distant call had cut him off. It didn't sound familiar, so it probably wasn't Kunishiro. Sakura stood up, looking hopeful, and tried to pinpoint where the voice was calling from. Finally, a dark-haired man came out from behind a wall of finely trimmed shrubbery, looking flushed and relieved at the same time. He immediately rushed over to Sakura and frowned at her tattered dress and disheveled appearance.

"I waited for you inside for nearly half an hour. I knew something had happened when I stumbled across Kunishiro with his arm bitten and his hand all bruised up. What happened?" He then turned to the man across from him and looked at him accusingly. "Who are you?"

Sakura couldn't help but smile at her brother's overprotective-ness. "Long story short, you should thank this gentleman for what he did for me, Onii-chan, instead of looking at him like that," She chided at her brother and smiled at her savior.

Touya eyed Sakura's rescuer disapprovingly, but thanked him curtly. He then bid good night and turned to the garden's exit. Before being whisked back, though, Sakura spoke with Touya for a few seconds. After some grumbling, Touya agreed to let her say her good-byes and made a call to his father while the other two talked in semi-privacy.

Under the supervision of Sakura's brother, the two bid each other good night and good-bye.

"So, I guess this is it," she said, grasping her handbag tightly and rocking back and forth on her heels. Then, she looked up at him with a last smile and turned to walk away. As Sakura walked back towards her brother, she seemed to have remembered something and stopped in her tracks.

"I almost forgot to ask," she called out. "You never told me your name."

The man grinned at her and replied, "It's Syaoran. Have a good night, Miss."

Sakura brightened up and returned her charming smile. "It's Sakura and good night to you, too, Syaoran-kun."

Something about her smile and the way she said his name made him suddenly feel warm inside. It was strange, but a good kind of strange. And to think, he'd never felt like this before. Syaoran grinned. Somehow, this girl had that effect on him and he _liked it_. The full moon must have something to do with it… Who knows?

---

"Onii-chan?" Sakura asked softly, her eyes straying towards the main building's back entrance. The older man beside her grunted, signaling for her to go on. He could sense that she was feeling a little bit uncomfortable and knew she didn't want to go back to the party.

"I can't go back to the ball like this," she said, making a sweeping motion over her dress and disheveled appearance. "I guess what I'm trying to say is—can we just go back home?"

Sakura looked up at her brother with pleading eyes. He sighed and nodded, taking out his cell phone again and began to dial their father's number, but Sakura shook her head.

"I don't want to bother Otou-san with this and, you don't need to drive me home. I'll just call for Shojiro-san," she said and gave Touya a reassuring smile when he looked uncertain.

Finally, he nodded slowly in approval. She was tired and she had already suffered enough. Even though he didn't know what had happened tonight in the gardens, Touya would trust his sister. When she was ready, he would be willing to listen and get to the bottom of this. But, for now, he would just let Sakura go and regain her normal self at home.

Touya, then, walked Sakura out to the front through the side gate and waited for their driver to come escort her back home. When she got into the car safely, he re-entered the Hall and sat down at one of the dinner tables where his father was seated. He didn't go into detail about what had happened with Sakura, but simply told him she felt tired and was on her way back to the mansion.

For the rest of the night, Touya kept a lookout for Ken, but didn't see him anywhere in the room, although Tomoyo had reportedly seen him stalking back into the Grand Hall—grimacing—a while ago. Whatever the reason, he vowed to find out sooner or later (though preferably sooner) and would make sure that Sakura would never be alone with the creep from now on.

---

As Syaoran walked back to the Iwazumi Grand Hall, his eyes caught on something sparkly peeking out from under a fallen cherry blossom. He reached down to pick it up, blowing away loose dirt to examine the object better. It was an earring—and an expensive-looking one, at that. Perhaps someone had misplaced it? Then, suddenly, it came back to him. It was that girl's earring! No wonder the surroundings looked so familiar… She had probably lost it during her struggle to escape from Kunishiro's grasps and didn't notice.

He carefully wrapped the object in his handkerchief and tucked it into his blazer's breast pocket. The man ran a hand through his dark hair and sighed. How on Earth would he locate the girl and hand the object back to her?

_Well,_ he thought, _how hard can finding Sakura be?_ Then, he shook his head and sighed. Sakura was quite a popular name, so trying to find her would be like trying to find a needle in a haystack. But, a smile suddenly spread on his lips. He loved a challenge!

_

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_**A/N:** Longest chapter I think?

_Whyte Lilac_


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: I do not own CCS nor do I own the characters in the manga/ anime. The characters and events in this story are fictitious. Any similarities to real persons are coincidental and unintentional.**

**

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**

**A Second Attempt at Love**

-4-

Thin rays of light seeped through the dark curtains of Sakura's bedroom as the morning sun rose. The girl lay quietly in bed, staring up at the white lace canopy of her bed without blinking. She had been up for most of the night, trying to rid her mind of the man who had saved her—literally—to no avail. Something about him just sparked her interest.

Sakura shook her head as though it would help erase her memory of him.

_If it wasn't working four hours ago, why would it now?_ She thought miserably.

Then, she closed her eyes, and buried herself deeper into her comforters, hoping for the Sandman to come. However, she had been awake much too long and wasn't able to go back to sleep. So, as much as she loved snuggling into the feather soft quilts, Sakura did something that she usually never did at 5:45 am—wake up. At least, that would've been something for her to look forward to if she had gotten any sleep at all the night before.

After stepping out of the shower, the girl dressed herself in casual clothing and set herself down at the dressing table. As she applied some sunscreen onto her face, Sakura noticed something odd about her appearance. She gazed at her reflection in confusion, scanning every detail of her visage. Then, it smacked her square in the face.

"My earring!" she gasped. Her fingers gently rubbed the naked lobe where her mother's last gift to her was supposed to hang.

Anxiety built in her chest as Sakura checked her other ear. The earring was safe, but swung wildly as her head snapped toward the direction of her bed.

She rushed over to the four-poster bed, and threw the sheets back, desperately searching for the object. But it wasn't there! Sakura ran back to the dresser and grabbed her handbag, her quick fingers rummaging through the contents inside.

"Nothing!" she finally sighed in frustration, and sank into the soft cushion of the matching vanity chair.

The overwhelming feeling of dread continued to fill her body as she tried her hardest to remember where she could've dislocated the precious object.

_How and where could I have misplaced it? It was with me the whole time last night—_Sakura thought, and paused briefly as realization struck her.

"Holy mother…" she breathed.

"Where is it…Where's the darn key?" Sakura was muttering when her brother walked in the main dining room.

His hair was still dripping wet from his shower, but he looked comfortable in his black pants and long-sleeved cotton shirt. He raised his brow as he watched his sister continue to mutter incoherently to herself while constantly opening and closing several cabinets.

"What's got you digging through the cabinets so early in the morning, kaijuu?" he asked loudly, taking a seat.

Sakura jumped and bumped her head into an opened cabinet door. To his surprise, she didn't hiss or make any remarks although she did look a little frustrated.

The older man sat down, took his coffee and opened his newspaper to the Business section.

"Why no-thing, of course, my dear Tou-ya-nii-chan," Sakura said smiling sweetly, stretching out each syllable.

The older man lowered his newspaper and arched his brow again, looking at her cautiously.

"Really, what were you looking for?"

Sakura fidgeted for a moment. "Well, I kinda need to borrow the key Koiji gave you...Do you know where it is?"

"Why? Is it for something important?" Touya asked. His sister looked at him seriously and nodded.

"I wouldn't be asking you for it if it wasn't, 'Nii-chan."

The jet-black haired man let out a small sigh and nodded. "I trust you."

"It's in the third cabinet to the right, in the second drawer. Here, use this key to unlock the drawer," He said, handing his sister a brass key he took from his pocket. "Make sure you put it back in there when you're done using it, you hear?"

Sakura chirped a word of thanks and rushed over to the other side to hug him. In doing so, though, she inadvertently spilled his coffee all over his newspaper. He gave a small groan, but assured her that he was okay.

"Oops. Gomen nasai, 'Nii-chan. I'll make it up to you later!" She called out, about to exit the room when he signaled for her to stop.

"Hold your horses, kiddo. You have the key now, but you haven't agreed to my conditions, yet."

Sakura rolled her emerald eyes. "Okay, fine. What are your 'conditions?' " She said, and then added quietly. "Dad."

"I heard that, but instead of punishing you like a father should for being mocked, let's move on." He grinned smugly at her extremely shocked face.

"First, Shojiro's driving you; second, you're not going alone—" he waited as she rolled her eyes once again.

"Okay, if you _are_ going alone, you have to be home by 3:00 pm. No exceptions."

"Is that it?"

"Yes—oh, wait," He added, "Don't snoop around the places you're not supposed to. Give me call me when you arrive and leave."

Sakura crossed her arms. "Is that all, _Otou-san_?"

Touya laughed dryly. "Ha-ha, I'm too young and handsome to be a father."

The auburn-haired woman slapped his arm in annoyance. "Dream on."

Then she called out her good-byes and quickly ascended the stairs. Soon after Sakura left, Touya took out his cell and started dialing his chauffeur's number, glancing in the direction of the staircase.

"Shojiro, make sure you keep an eye on her. Report anything suspicious as soon as you see it happen."

_Sakura, be safe._

"Oh, no, that's alright, thank you. I'll just wait until she gets back, then." Sakura sighed as she ended the call.

She was just on the phone with the Daidouji's butler, wanting to speak with Tomoyo, but apparently, she was disappointed. Not long after the ball had ended last night, some kind of emergency meeting had come up. Tomoyo had to pack immediately and catch a flight to Tokyo, where the meeting would be held.

Since she wasn't informed of this, Sakura had called to ask Tomoyo if she wanted to join her at the Iwazumi that day. She thought it was strange when Tomoyo didn't pick up her personal phone. Calling the Daidouji house was just to confirm that Tomoyo wasn't home.

Deciding that moping around all day wasn't going to get her earring back; Sakura picked up her cell and tucked her wallet into her back pocket. In the haste and hurry, she had nearly forgotten to take her earring with her—the only one she has left.

A few hours ago, she had remembered taking it off and quickly putting it into the gift box her mother had given her a long time ago. Sakura took the jewelry box off its place on a personally designed stand and opened it.

A smile spread across her lips when she saw the simple, but beautiful earring twinkling up at her. Then, she furrowed her brows up in surprise as something else caught her eye.

It was a snow white handkerchief.

No, it was _his_ handkerchief.

Sakura ran a hand through her hair and rested it at the nape of her neck. She didn't have a clue how it got there. But, perhaps she had unconsciously put it in the box…?

That didn't bother her right now. At this moment, nothing concerned her more than the state of the missing earring her mother gave her. However, before she even realized it, Sakura had already picked up the handkerchief and unfolding it. Her fingers ran over the silky soft surface of the cloth, smoothing out all the uneven bumps and wrinkles.

Moments after unconsciously thinking, Sakura suddenly snapped out of it all, noticing that her fingers had run over a bump that couldn't be smoothed. She looked down and her eyes widened for a moment. That wasn't a bump! Well, not exactly…It was actually just a monogram.

No, not _just_ any monogram…It was _his_ monogram.

Sakura ran her fingers over the two letters that represented his full name.

"S" and "L", it read.

She knew what the "S" meant, but not the "L". They never had the opportunity to exchange their full names.

She sighed and closed her eyes. Then, she blinked them open again, but slowly in a half-lidded manner. Her emerald orbs quickly turned a darker shade as her mind began drowning in a pool of non-stop wonder.

"_S" and "L"…I wonder what the "L" stands for. Who are you…Syaoran?_

_

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_**A/N: **This was written about a year and some months ago, I think? (I'm not very good at math.) A lot of people were waiting for me to get out the next chapter, and I was really picking my brain for it, but for a long time, there was nothing! Now, I'm happy to say you can go on to reading chapter 5!

_Whyte Lilac_


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I do not own CCS nor do I own the characters in the manga/ anime. The characters and events in this story are fictitious. Any similarities to real persons are coincidental and unintentional.**

**A/N: **I am totally prepared for those of you who want to throw tomatoes at me. But, let's make it short so you can go on to (hopefully) enjoy the new chapter. It's been...more than a year since I've updated/ published anything. But, lately, I've been bitten by the story bug! How awesome is that? Anyway, sorry for the long wait--here's chapter 5!

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**A Second Attempt at Love**

-5-

"Sakura, are you planning on coming down any time soon?" Touya called up from the bottom of the staircase. "Shojiro is growing old waiting for you in the car."

Quickly, Sakura snapped out of her trance. She hurriedly smoothed her hair back and dusted off her clothes.

"I'm here," Sakura replied, the sound of her heels click-clacked down the marble stairs. "I'm ready to go."

She hopped down the last step and gave her brother a reassuring hug, then hurried out the door into the black BMW that was waiting for her in front of the Kinomoto mansion.

"I'll call, I swear!" She shouted out through the open tinted window of the backseat. "Bye, Onii-chan!"

From under the threshold of the tall oak doors, Touya smiled. He waved back at her and watched as the car drove away.

His sister meant a lot to him, and he wasn't overprotective of her just because it was his job as an older brother. Sakura was naïve and although she was a young adult now, he still felt it was necessary to protect her innocence. Growing up in a wealthy family had allowed them a lot of privileges, but still, they were inhibited from doing many things. Sakura just wasn't ready to face the shock of the real world; she was safer inside the circle.

---

"Thank you, Shojiro-san," Sakura said, her lips turned up in a smile as the chauffeur opened the door to let her out. "I won't be long."

Shojiro nodded in acknowledgment and helped her unlock the gates to the Iwazumi garden. Then, he assumed his position in front of the entrance for guard duty.

In the meantime, Sakura let the stone and gravel path guide her to the middle of the garden where a grand fountain stood spouting out sparkling water. This place looked equally as beautiful as it did at night, but it still held some sharp memories for her.

A shiver ran down Sakura's spine. She made a quick 180° scan of her surroundings, but noticed nothing out of the ordinary. The girl shook her head briskly, making her loose auburn hair fly out; she was just being paranoid. There was no way that Kunishiro would show his face here again after what had happened last night.

A flashback of last night's events brought a warm flush of color to Sakura's cheeks. She was glad no one was around to see her in such a flustered state. To think that just the _thought_ of him would have such an effect on her was embarrassing—especially when they barely knew anything but each other's first names!

That's right… They only exchanged first names. It was probably for the best anyway. It wasn't like they'd ever see each other again.

Sakura grimaced; she was restricted to her house most of the time, and was rarely allowed to go anywhere without supervision. It really frustrated her that she was so limited in freedom.

"Syaoran…" She tried saying the name out loud. For some weird reason, it really comforted her right now. Sakura liked the way the name just rolled off her tongue like some precious prayer.

A crunch of gravel sounded behind her. "Yes?"

Sakura jumped. Her eyes widened with surprise. She spun around quickly and stumbled a few steps backward.

"Ohmygod!" The words burst out of her lips before she could stop herself.

With her hand over her mouth, Sakura stared at the man in front of her, completely amazed. Her heart had been racing in fear a moment ago, but now, it was hammering away for a totally different reason.

"Syaoran-kun?" Sakura stated, breathless. She was afraid to breathe, fearful that if she exhaled, she might blow him away.

"Hey," Syaoran greeted warmly.

The young man was dressed in casual, but tasteful clothes—a pair of dark wash jeans and a button up print shirt that did little to hide his defined muscles. He grinned at Sakura like he was really happy to see her. And though she thought it was foolish, that it only happened in the movies, his charming smile really made her weak in the knees.

The blush on her face returned, making her cheeks turn a soft hue of pink. Syaoran's grin widened. She looked so adorable right now; he wanted nothing more than to hold her soft body close to him.

But, no! He quickly reminded himself that he was here for another reason—to return a belonging of hers, not to play around.

"Um," Sakura finally managed to say after swallowing the lump in her throat. "What are you doing here? And more importantly, _how_ did you get in here?"

Syaoran just chuckled. There was a mysterious twinkle in his eyes as he brought his forefinger to brush against his lips.

He winked. "It's a secret."

Immediately, Sakura could feel the color rising back onto her cheeks. She looked away from him and pretended to look for her missing earring. But, with him on her mind _and_ here in front of her, Sakura just couldn't concentrate long enough on anything. She ran her eyes over the same places listlessly, but was so flustered that she wasn't actually even seeing.

A light tap on her shoulder made her jump again. Sakura turned around sharply and was surprised to see Syaoran leaning in so close to her. She stumbled back a few steps, bringing forth another chuckle from him.

"You look like you're looking for something—can I help?" Syaoran flashed another dreamy smile at her.

Sakura shook her head quickly. His perfect smile was so bright; she swore she could see stars.

"Even if you pitched in, I don't think we'd be able to find it in a place as humongous as this," The auburn haired female explained sadly, gesturing to the majesty and size of the garden.

"It's okay," Syaoran assured her. "I'm here to help you. They've always said I've got a keen eye for things."

Sakura looked up at him in pure elation. Then, she clasped his hands in hers. "You will? That's great!"

"Um, yeah," Syaoran muttered, looking down at their joined hands.

When she let go suddenly and began gushing about how great it was that he seemed to always be there to help her, Syaoran zoned out. He continued to stare at his hands like they were some mysterious puzzle.

But…they were _tingling_. His hands never tingled. And they never tingled in a good way—especially not because some girl had just held his hands. But, then again, she wasn't just 'some girl,' was she?

"—and it looks like this…Syaoran? Are you alright?" Sakura questioned, her brows were knitted in concern.

Syaoran snapped out of his reverie, but suddenly found himself drowning in two beautiful pools of sparkling emerald. It was not until he was just inches away from brushing his lips against hers did Syaoran realize that he was slowly leaning in closer and closer.

Recovering quickly, Syaoran grudgingly leaned back and brought his fingers up to touch her face. His thumb stroked her cheek.

Sakura held her breath still. She silently prayed that his fingers couldn't feel the rise in temperature that continued to betray her emotions. Heat was practically radiating off her face.

"You've got a speck of dirt there," Syaoran explained, blowing at an invisible dot of dust on his finger.

"Oh," Sakura said, a little surprised and bemused. "Um, thank you."

"Do you want to start looking, now?" Syaoran questioned, the mysterious twinkle in his eye returned.

"Oh, um, yes! Of course," Sakura exclaimed and then she held up a single pearl drop earring. "We'll be looking for its twin."

"Pretty," Syaoran commented. It looked exactly like the one he found last night, but he wasn't about to tell her that. Not just yet.

"Let's start here first," He suggested. "Then, we'll move down the path to where we ended up yesterday."

Sakura nodded in agreement. "Sure."

---

It didn't take them long to search the entire garden. After they narrowed down the places that Sakura was sure she could have lost the earring, there was nothing left to do but check the ground for it. This was easier than it sounded because the garden was manicured regularly and any leaves that fell onto the ground had already been picked up and disposed of.

If the earring was still there, they should have been able to spot it easily. But, after checking twice and again, the despair Sakura felt only grew.

"I don't think it's here anymore," She sighed. "Maybe someone picked it up already or maybe I just lost it."

Syaoran squeezed her shoulder reassuringly. This game was up. He just couldn't take it anymore, seeing her sad expression. Surely, the piece of jewelry must mean a lot to her.

"Hey, it's okay," Syaoran said, trying to comfort her. "We'll find it. You just have to have more faith."

A half-hearted smile formed on the girl's lips, but the devastation was still clear in her eyes. Right then and there, Syaoran decided to stop with his act.

He didn't know why, but he wanted her to be happy. He wanted to be the one who made the cheerfulness return to her beautiful green orbs and he wanted to be the one who brought back the alluring smile to her luscious, pink lips.

"Hey, what's this?" Syaoran wrinkled his confusion as he reached behind her ear.

Sakura looked up at him quizzically. She felt his callused fingers make contact with the back of her ear and her eyes widened in astonishment when she felt something cool touch her skin.

Slowly, and with a smile, Syaoran brought forward the object that just cooled her heated flesh. She gasped as he finally held it out in front of her eyes. Her mother's earring!

"You found it?" Sakura sounded relieved, but her eyes held disbelief. "But how? I've been searching this whole entire time with you, and I haven't caught a single sparkle from the corners of my eyes."

Syaoran grinned. "Like I said earlier, they say I've got a keen eye for things."

He dropped the pearl earring into her open palms and watched as she rejoiced in finding the precious thing.

"Thank you so much!" Sakura exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with bliss. "Thank you, thank you, thank you! That's all I can say! I don't know how else to thank you!"

The girl became so ecstatic that, in the rush of the moment, she wrapped her arms around his waist for a warm embrace. Syaoran was pleasantly surprised. He assumed he would receive thanks, but was honestly not prepared for a hug. But, it felt so _nice_; it would be a shame to push her away.

They stayed like that for a few silent minutes, until Sakura snapped back to reality and suddenly pushed herself away from his body. It was totally unexpected, but she was amazingly comfortable to be in such an intimate embrace with this man she barely knew.

Syaoran, too, unwillingly came back to the present, but he found it harder to break away from their seemingly too-short hug. He admit that he had enjoyed it so much that he nearly pulled her back into his arms for another sweet embrace.

"Um," Sakura said, her cheeks stained with the evidence of their close contact. "I'm really grateful you found this. I don't know what I would do if I really lost it. Thank you."

Syaoran cleared his throat. "It was my pleasure. I'm glad we got the chance to see each other again, Sakura."

"Yes…I guess it was my luck, running into you. I do hope we will have more opportunities to see each other, soon."

Syaoran smiled. There was nothing but charm in his handsome features. "Then, perhaps, we should make these opportunities."

She returned the smile, but Sakura was still confused about the meaning of his words. Make opportunities? To meet? Where and how would they be able to do this while Sakura was literally confined to her house 24/ 7?

Sensing the puzzlement that the young woman spewed, Syaoran let out another deep chuckle. She was so naïve! It was rare that this trait was still present in a grown woman such as herself.

"What I mean to say is," He explained, his eyes twinkling in a totally different way. "If you would like to have dinner some time, I won't hesitate to take you out."

Sakura gaped at him for a moment, not knowing whether she had heard correctly or not, because it sounded like he had just asked her out.

And with no further hesitation, she accepted, her face glowing luminously. "I never thought you would ask."

* * *

**A/N: **Being the naturally chatty person that I am, I've got to make another short note here...So, to all of you who wondered what the heck happened to me--well, let's just say I was totally uninspired and hated what I was writing. What's gonna happen now? I'm not really sure myself! But, I've learned not to make promises I can't go through with, so excuse me for being what I am (a lazy procrastinator who loves junk food and sweets too much). I really can't help it, but I'm going to give it my best shot. If you want to keep updated, you can check my profile. I'm thinking about opening a blog.

Anyway....Liked it, hated it? Tell me what you think. I love hearing the good _and_ the bad. Oh, and if you have time, feel free to check out my new CCS story: **Sheer Illusions** (a work in progress).

_Whyte Lilac_


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